CRN Interview: Edgar Masri, 3Com CEO

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Edgar Masri, who took the president and CEO reins at 3Com in August, outlined the networking vendor's channel strategy in an interview with CRN Infrastructure Editor Jennifer Hagendorf Follett at the 3Com Partner Summit in Boston. Here's an excerpt of the discussion.

CRN: What is your goal for the conference?

MASRI: The goal is to reiterate our commitment to the channel and our desire, working with them, to change the rules of the game in providing solutions for small and medium enterprises.

CRN: Do you think that message has been diluted?

MASRI: I think with the acquisition of TippingPoint, we have been able as a company to win and provide solutions to large enterprises. The message got, in the process, a little bit diluted because people had a feeling that we were now going direct into the enterprise through that opportunity. It is true we are winning in large enterprises with the TippingPoint offering, but for 3Com converged solutions, which are the data and the voice offerings, I wanted to make it very clear that our sales will be primarily through the channel and that our direct sales force there will be an overlay to it.

CRN: Are you backing off of 3Com's strategy to target the enterprise through partners?

MASRI: They are by definition small and medium enterprise resellers. What I wanted to stress is the importance to look at every opportunity and ensure from the back end that we are totally capable of supporting them. What I was specifically highlighting is the tendency in many situations, because we are building products that scale, to err on the side of going to too large an opportunity without having studied the implications. Eventually we'll get there, but I just wanted to send the message that the focus that I talked about is on small and medium enterprises, and what I mean by that specifically is to about 2,000 users. Now, will we go and win an opportunity beyond that? Yes, but it will be studied, analyzed and we will ensure that we can support and win with this customer throughout the lifecycle of the solution.

CRN: Is it your expectation as you push toward larger enterprise sales that it would be the partners like the ones here at the conference moving upscale with you or a whole new set of partners?

MASRI: I think some of them in this room have done it and will help us. I do expect, though, that we will need to look also at complementing our stable of partners with the ones that have traditionally supported large enterprise I'm looking more for partners that sell security solutions, I want them to start first by helping us win in small and medium enterprises, I want those who are providing wireless solutions end-to-end in small and medium enterprises. Eventually, yes, it will be large enterprises, but our focus is small and medium enterprises.

CRN: So most of the partners here at the conference aren't selling TippingPoint because it's not focused on the SMB space?

MASRI: Some of them are already enabled to do that. What you need is certification. It's primarily up to the resellers' ability to sell and support such product. Some of them have already been certified on TippingPoint, and we look forward to having more partners sell it.

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